Talk:Character Reviews/@comment-35399065-20180530172922
(repost from Characters page) The array of different characters---with differing personalities, back-stories, and skill-sets---that you have the option of playing is imo a big component of what keeps this game fresh even after several plays. As each character brings something different to the table, it persuaded me to create a point-system by which to rate and rank the usefulness of each character a vacuum, based on an assigned score in multiple categories (scores in all categories are then added to yield overall survivor rating). tl;dr version (since this is LONG)--->you can skip to the bottom to see each character's final score. According to my criteria characters like Bruno, Katia, and Marin are grossly underrated that statement on how few votes they have for favorite character. I’ll go into detail below…… The single most important category imo is inventory size. We need food, meds, parts and materials to make the various appliances, tools, and weapons we’ll be needing, as well as burnable fuel to cook with and/or keep warm. So the survivors who can bring in LOTS of these items (or other tradeable items) on a daily basis would be of moderate-high value even if they were poor in every other consideration. As to the score applied to each for this category, I did NOT simply use their raw inventory size, because I believe the problems created if you’re saddled with tiny inventory scavengers (e.g. with the Anton + Cveta scenario) compounds day-over-day…..it’s hard to keep up with your basic needs (even if you resort to stealing from innocents often). Otoh, if you have a Marko or Boris, you can quite frequently “get ahead” of your basic needs, making surviving much easier (even if an unexpected hardship occurs). So where Boris’s inventory is just over twice that of Anton or Cveta, I actually think his value as a scavenger is significantly more than double theirs. So I used the following equation to assign a score: size * 1.5 - 5 This yields a minimum score of 7.0 for Anton and Cveta, and a max score of 20.5 for Boris, 17.5 for Marko, 13.0 for Katia, Zlata, and Pavle, and 10.0 for everyone else. The second-most important category is *special skills. Survivors are awarded a score between 4 and 13.5. *Roman, Pavle, Boris, and Marko all get the lowest score (4.0), because the talents that make them special are accounted for in other categories (still having 4.0 as a minimum as everyone can still perform the same basic tasks): *Boris’s special use is in his huge inventory size (accounted for above), and his combat-readiness (see later categories). *Roman is a fighter already assessed highly in the next two categories. *As far as I can tell, Marko’s ability as a “Skilled Scavenger” is entirely accounted for in his large inventory size; he doesn’t see scavenge piles that the other characters don’t, he doesn’t scavenge each pile any faster (or quieter) than the others, and he doesn’t appear to find additional items in scavenge piles that the other characters would miss (have tested about a dozen piles at 3 different locations against both Arica and Bruno). *Pavle’s foot-speed is accounted for in the fifth category yet to come. Emilia and Cveta also get the lowest score simply because they do not possess any special skills or exceptional qualities. Cveta is good with kids; don't know how handy that is in a scenario with a child survivor (I've not played one yet; that may change her score eventually). I've given Zlata 4.5 (just +0.5 from the minimum) for her ability to comfort others, which might rarely be of minor use. I've also awarded Anton 4.5, as apparently rat traps that he sets will catch rats (food) slightly quicker than the others. I've not found it to be a big difference, though: like Anton's traps catch something every 2-2.3 days on average, vs maybe ~2.2-2.6 days average for others. Arica’s quiet sneaking ability does come in handy from time to time---if you're on the floor BELOW someone you can run under them without being detected, if so desired; can also actually RUN up behind someone to back-stab, which isn't possible with the other characters (they'll hear you coming). She makes less noise doing things like using the crowbar to open something, too. On the other hand, this quiet sneaking can also be an unwanted complication sometimes, as it basically makes it impossible to lure bad guys to your hiding place (for stealth-ambush) by running around.....they simply won't hear her. So I’ve awarded her a modest 5.5 for this category. I've awarded Bruno a very high 11.75 for reasons detailed below: If you feed a “Hungry” survivor an uncooked raw food item, his/her status only improves to “Still Hungry”; but if you cook it first, they’re not hungry at all after. Bruno can cook that item at cost of 3 waters and 1 consumable on a basic stove; all other characters require 5 waters and 2 consumables. With an improved cooking stove, other survivors can cook a meal with 3 waters and 1 consumable (Bruno requires just 2+1). I usually build and use a rat-trap baiting with fertilizer, fwiw, this will catch TWO raw food items about once every 2-3 days. So I’m frequently utilizing raw food items to feed my characters (and thus these cooking savings end up being pretty relevant). I also generally opt to build a distillery to distill Moonshine (for trade) if possible. Bruno can brew a bottle of Moonshine at a cost of 3 waters, 3 sugars, and 1 consumable. All other characters require 4 waters, 4 sugars, and 1 consumable (rendering the enterprise barely profitable not refining to pure alcohol to make meds, unless you have Katia to trade it). Bruno can also refine that to pure alcohol more cheaply than others. I'm not sure if Bruno can't also make meds at reduced cost if you make an IMPROVED Herbal Workshop; I think I read that they removed that aspect in the newer versions that have "The Pharmacist" character. At any rate, the savings of the other things REALLY add up over the course of the game. With Marin, he uses less materials to make many of the things you’ll need to get rolling on (particularly early in the game). He’ll use fewer materials (by about 20%) for all major builds (heaters, stoves, board-ups, etc), as well as a few minor items (such as the crowbar); he gets you a similar discount on upgrading your workshops or appliances, too. That’s valuable savings----again: ESPECIALLY EARLY in the game when you’re racing to get things built in preparation for winter or crime events. His usefulness declines substantially as the game goes on (AFTER you’ve already built/improved all the things you need)----more on this below in a separate category----though he does still get you some marginal savings later when, for examples, fixing a broken shotgun or assault rifle. I’ve awarded Marin a very high score of 12.25 for his special talents. And finally Katia. She is skilled at bargaining (have tested against others, and a +20% bonus on trades seems to be about how much more than the others she will garner on trades). This is outstandingly handy since Franko comes by every third day, and you’ll frequently be trading at other scavenging locations, too we're probably averaging one trade for every two days......if Katia's on my team, I'll likely try to even exceed that. Additionally, she's probably the best survivor outside of Zlata at comforting other depressed survivors. So I’ve awarded her the best possible score of 13.5 in this category. The third-most important category is guarding proficiency. You need to defend your shelter nightly from the constant threat from raids. Having a proficient guard helps keep your inventory intact (and in keeping people from getting wounded during raids). Poor guarders will frequently be wounded during raids (even with good weaponry available), and against more aggressive/dangerous raids may also permit the theft of your items. I've awarded a scale of 3 to 10 for this category, as even the most inept of guarders can often keep your items safe if provided decent weapons. Interestingly, I find that their combat/melee proficiency (the next category) does NOT correspond directly to how well they do at guarding. A good example is Emilia: she has relatively poor combat proficiency, but does a decent job guarding (with three board-ups done no re-enforced door and only a shovel for a weapon, she successfully guarded alone against a group that "Really meant business.."; no thefts, no injuries).My rankings are based upon my own experience as well as input read on this site (which I do not completely agree with, fwiw). Anton appears to be the worst guard, and is given the minimum of 3. Katia's only a little better and gets 3.5. Even Cveta (the worst combatant) appears slightly better than Anton and is awarded 3.5. Zlata gets a 4. Marin gets a 4.5. Bruno gets a 5. Emilia gets a 5.5. Pavle gets a 6.5. Marko gets a 7.25, as he can actually do a great job on his own if well-armed (ex. once during the Outbreak of Crime, with three board-ups done and armed with an assault rifle no back-up, he successfully guarded the domicile against some "very aggressive" intruders theft, no injuries). Arica gets 7.75 and Boris received 8. And Roman gets the full 10. The fourth-most important category is Combat/Melee Proficiency. Periodically you will have to risk clearing out some bad guys in order to get guns (guns which will be important during the “Outbreak of Crime”, or alternately to use as excellent trade value if you obtain enough you can easily part with some), or simply to fully scavenge a site. With guile and experience (and some cheating by getting advice here and YouTube tutorials) it’s certainly possible to clear many locations with a less proficient fighter; but it’s certainly easier if you use a more proficient fighter (especially to manage it without your survivor getting wounded, or if doing one of the locations that has LOTS of bad guys to dispose of). fwiw, the scores are based on both information available on this site as well as my own impressions seeing how these characters perform in a variety of situations. Scores for this category range from 1 to 9. Allowing scores all the way down to 1, as you're basically never going to send your rock-bottom worst combatants into those situations (unless your back is really against the wall); would almost be a suicide mission with Cveta, unless you had her armored AND extremely well-armed. Being the lowest combat proficiency, Cveta gets the minimum 1. Anton and Katia are little better and each get 2. Zlata I've awarded a 3, Marin a 3.5, 4.5 each for Emilia and Bruno, 5 for Pavle, 5.25 for Marko (who, in my experience, seems to do marginally better than the other "Combat B Proficiency" survivors), 7.5 for Arica, 8 for Boris (have given him a slight leg up on Arica as he appears to have more health take more damage before dying than her), and the full 9 pts for Roman. The fifth-most important category is foot-speed. A survivor's speed is important in a variety of circumstances: a) it's impossible to send Boris into Sniper Junction without him getting wounded or killed impossible with Anton, too, because he's simply not fast enough to get from hiding spot to hiding spot in time to avoid the sniper's bullet. b) Clearing the hostiles out of some locations as The Brothel may require some quick maneuvering from hiding place to hiding place; so again a slow character such as Boris being a good combatant is not a good choice. c) Sometimes it's simply difficult to fully scavenge a large map area before dawn with a slow character, too. d) Even getting all the chores done around your house before nightfall on the first day can be difficult if you had only the slowest characters. So I’ve allocated a scale of 1 to 8 for footspeed, and I'll admit it’s based mostly on me simply eye-balling how fast they seem. For all his other positive attributes, Boris is slow as hell and gets the 1. Anton isn’t much better and gets a 2.5; Cveta a 3.75; Zlata and Marin are 4.5, Bruno, Katia, and Emilia are 5, 5.5 for Arica, Roman, and Marko, and Pavle gets the full 8. The sixth-most important category is Non-Redundancy. I’m talking about characters whose skills/attributes overlap. For instance, adding Marko to a team that already has Boris is sort of superfluous: the ONE thing for which Marko is somewhat elite (inventory size) is something Boris is even better at; and we can’t send them both out to scavenge. Or adding Arica (a good fighter) to a team that already has Roman (or vice versa) doesn’t add much. Survivors like Bruno, Marin, or Katia, on the other hand, always have additive value (because no one else possesses their unique skills). I made this category a scale of 1 to 5. Bruno, Marin, and Katia get the full 5 pts each, as they're special skills are so singular. I gave Boris (strong fighter and largest inventory) a score of 3.25. Roman (the single BEST fighter) and Arica (a very good fighter who also can sneak quietly) 3 pts each. Marko was awarded 2.5 pts (he’s pretty additive if added to any team that doesn’t already have Boris, although slightly less so if they already have Katia, Pavle, or Zlata). Pavle and Zlata each get 2 pts (his speed might rarely be useful above what the others offer (ditto Zlata's comforting??), and their inventory of 12 will be a slight improvement to any team that doesn't have one of Katia, Marko, or Boris). Anton, Cveta, and Emilia again get the lowest 1 pt because they don’t bring anything special to the table (though can still carry out basic functions: hence the 1-pt minimum). The seventh-most important category is Portability of late-game insert. By “late-game insert” I’m referring to whether or not their usefulness can be applied in full measure if they’re the “extra” character who arrives around Day 18. This is a very small consideration, where the score awarded ranges from 0 to 2. Bruno and Katia are the only players I’m awarding the full 2 points to, as their talents can instantly apply at any point in the game, and continue for the rest of the game. Boris and Marko get 1.5 pts each. Roman gets 1.25. Arica and Pavle get 1 pt each. Zlata and Marin each get 0.5 pts (remember how I said Marin’s skills are most useful EARLY in the game?). Anton, Cveta, and Emilia again get the minimum (0). Lastly, I have a couple of “taxes” (or potential negatives subtracted from their totals). The first is an Addiction Tax. These are deductions (from 0 to -2) from those who have addictions that will draw off your inventory (of cigarettes or coffee) if you don’t immediately trade those items. I assess the smoking addiction as a larger tax because cigarettes (even the roll-up cigs) are better trade items than coffee (the smokers tend to go thru more of that inventory daily than the coffee drinkers, too). So the smokers (Boris, Bruno, Arica, Roman) are assessed -2 pts. The coffee drinkers (Emilia, Katia, Marin) are assessed -0.5 pts each. And I’ve assessed Anton and Pavle each a -0.1 because although they has no listed vices (Anton's bio even says he’s “Abstinent”), there was one time for each where while idle he smoked one of the cigarettes I had in inventory; I was pretty surprised. Cveta may also rarely consume a cup of coffee, so I gave her a minimal -0.1 Marko and Zlata do not have any addiction tax (awarded a zero). Then there’s the Emotional Tax. This is a tax (0 to -2) applied to the score of those whose “sensitivities” can be a burden. I’m talking about the characters who will get sad if you have to steal, sad if you have to kill (even if it’s killing soldiers); or characters who are otherwise "problematic" within your shelter. Having sad survivors is a problem because they do move and perform tasks slightly more slowly, and you run the risk of them leaving (and stealing supplies) or committing suicide if it progresses to depression. The characters who seem the most likeable and honorable are often ironically the ones who can be the most touchy (getting sad/depressed) over what's happening. Some of the more sociopathic characters (like Bruno or Emilia) are actually the most resilient (even though they kind of seem like self-centered douche-bags). But within the context of survival, a lack of emotional hang-ups is sometimes advantageous. The exception to that rule, however, is Roman. Roman can get "sad" or "depressed" due to an extended period of being wounded (or otherwise infirm), or also from extended lack of cigarettes. And when he is sad, he will regularly quarrel (sometimes even VIOLENTLY) with the other survivors if you leave him in the shelter overnight. This generally brings down the rest of the household (rarely, I've even seen a survivor WOUNDED in one of these quarrels, and a survivor subsequently talking about how Roman "attacked" him). I've also noted that if Roman's been sad due the above factors for awhile, he has a hell of a hard time breaking out of it. Even when I finally eliminated his wounded status, kept him fed and rested, AND had cigarettes on hand for him......he remained sad for a few more days. Reported, he's likely to steal supplies if he leaves the group, too. And while he's more resistant to the things that make many of the other characters sad, he's also more resistant to ever becoming "content" (which, to my eye, puts a pinch more spring in their step to get things done quicker, and also makes them a little resilient against sadness). Consequently, I find Roman is the single most volatile and difficult survivor in terms of emotional tax, and gets the worst -2 rating. The "nicer" characters have a tendency toward getting sad if you kill anyone (even bandits or soldiers), or if you have to steal from innocents at all. And while they also get "content" more easily from helping neighbors and such, that slight benefit doesn't outweigh the burden of their sad tendencies. The most sensitive of the "nice guys" is the gentle giant Boris, so I've given him -1.75. Katia and Zlata are also quite sensitive and have been given -1.5. -1 each to Cveta, Arica, Marin, Pavle, and Marko. I gave Anton -0.5 because he’s sort of a whiny bugger who quickly gets sad if hungry, sick, or wounded (which can be often because he’s such a generally useless character), although he's somewhat resilient to other factors that make some characters sad. Additionally, I’d read that if he leaves the group, he’ll be a douche and steal supplies. Bruno and Emilia get 0’s, as they’re relative sociopaths who seem to offer the best possible emotional profile for survival. I’m continually modifying the parameters of this ranking system, but as things stand, my final rating all the above scores for each player are as follows: Boris - 42.5 Marko - 42.5 Katia - 42.0 Bruno - 41.25 Roman - 38.75 Pavle - 38.4 Marin - 38.25 Arica - 37.25 Zlata - 30.0 Emilia - 30.0 Anton - 19.4 Cveta - 19.15 EDIT: Have added in ratings of some of the character types you can create. Haven't played a ton with them, so more experimentation is required to fully cement impressions, but preliminary impressions and ratings the bottom are as follows: All of them have a respectable inventory size of 12. No matter the physique I pick, they all seem to have similar level footspeed. Combat and guarding proficiency were determined based on combat proficiency detailed on this site in combination with my own limited experience playing with them: the Insurance Agent rates the worst, followed by the Computer Specialist; Police Officer rates the best in combat, though possibly 2nd-best guarding), the Forester I rate as the best guarding, and perhaps 2nd-best in combat. Psychologist comes out in the middle. None of them have any addictions (so no Addiction Tax), none of them is a major liability in "Emotional Tax" (especially the Computer Specialist who---similar to Bruno or Emilia----is slightly sociopathic, and thus a little more resistant to the things that get the others down). For special skills (and as that relates to Non-Redundancy and Portability), the Insurance Agent is listed as "Persuasive", and I've found this enables him to yield better results than other characters on trades. No quite as good as the ~20% bonus Katia gets you, but something in the vicinity of 13-14%, which is still quite good. I've consequently awarded him a fairly high 11.25 for special skills. The Pharmacist uses fewer herbs, medicinal ingredients, and/or components to make meds or bandages at the Herbal Workshop. This can be pretty valuable as those make OUTSTANDING trade items (especially if you trade with Matey at the Garage), so I've given him an 8. The Forester is listed as a "Skilled Woodchopper"; turns out when you have him chop furniture for wood/consumables, he yields about 50-60% more than any of the other characters would. So that certainly does come in a little handy (especially in winter), so I've given him a 7.5. The Computer Specialist can make Mixers, Thermoregulators, or other electrical devices needed to do certain builds or upgrades at HALF the cost Electrical Parts of others, so I've awarded him a 7.0. The Photographer has a "Keen eye for detail", but I haven't found this to be a particular advantage in scavenging (though perhaps more experimentation and comparison is required). The Insurance Agent rates the best in "Non-Redundancy", followed by the Forester, then the Pharmacist, then the Police Officer, then the Computer Specialist. The "Portability of Late-Game insert" doesn't really apply, as these characters will never be the ones the game randomly inserts around Day 18; so I've just given them all the middling rating of 1. Anyway, final scores shaping out like this: the Forester - 40.75 Insurance Agent - 40.25 the Pharmacist - 38.0 the Police Officer - 36.25 the Computer Specialist - 34.5 the Psychologist - 34.0 the Photographer - 32.5